This invention relates to article converging/diverging, chamfered walls gripping anvils.
This invention is particularly useful for providing a pair of gripping anvils for use with a retrieving interface attached to an article orbiting the earth, e.g. a satellite.
One type of interface has been designed for use with relatively smaller orbital replacement units for servicing satellites, see co-pending patent application Ser. No. 8/005,/066, filed Jan. 15, 1993. This interface is square in cross-section in plan view, and has a side view cross-section of chamfered walls similar to that of a sewing machine bobbin, so that gripping anvils can receive, align with and grip opposed chamfered wall corners of the interface.
Another type of retrieving interface has been designed for use with relatively larger orbital replacement units, see co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08/111,061, filed Aug. 24, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,384. This interface is provided with opposed, splayed pairs of protuberances having chamfered inner walls, so that gripping anvils can enter, align with and grip, the pairs of protuberances.
While both of these retrieving interfaces have been found to perform their functions satisfactorily, a difficulty has arisen in that different shapes of gripping anvils are required for each type of interface.
It has already been proposed in FIGS. 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,678, dated May. 1, 1984, I. S. George, to provide a pair of V-recessed anvils, a top one of which is an inverted V shape, and can be reversed, so that articles, in this instance of smaller diameter, can be gripped by the same pair of anvils.
While the anvils of George are useful on earth, it would be highly undesirable for an astronaut to have to take a space walk to reverse gripping anvils in order that the anvils can grip different types of orbital replacement unit retrieving interfaces that are necessary for orbital replacement units of different sizes.
There is a need for article diverging/converging, chamfered walls gripping anvils which can grip both of these types of walls without the need for any adjustment being made to one or both of the anvils.